Dreams
by tikinottyki
Summary: Tri-quil? Pureblood children have gone missing, and Zero thinks that Yuuki's child will be taken away. But in a battle of love and pride, Zero and Kaname's relationship turns for the worse. When the child goes missing, how will Zero make it up to Kaname?
1. Chapter 1

For the first few months, I didn't know how to take that phone call. Even now, I still have to wonder what Yuuki's intent was on telling me. It didn't seem normal that she would want to tell me…

_"__It's just... I wanted to tell you first..."_

I try to shake that one sentence from my head, and yet it manages to creep back into my mind and echo endlessly. Why would she rather tell me than her own fiancé? Why didn't she tell Cross; he was her adoptive father, so why shouldn't he have known? Why me? I was the one who fell out of her favor nearly three years ago now; I was the one who her brother, her fiancé, was banging on a regular basis instead of her; I was the one who would probably one day end up hunting her down. And yet I was the one who knew first.

_She's trying to make you jealous…_

No, Yuuki would never do that. She was like a sister to me…

_And yet she knows that Kaname favors you over her now…_

I know, but she said it was okay with her. If it wasn't, she would have told me.

_She lied…_

Shut up…

_It's only natural for her to lie; she had been lying to you for four years…_

Shut up.

_There's no denying it, Zero. She's trying to push Kaname out of your life…_

I rammed the back of my head against the wall, attempting to push out the thoughts that had driven me insane for a long time.

"Oi, don't do that; you'll break in the wall."

With a sigh, I looked over to Rui. "Shut up," I stated. "I'm thinking of a lot right now."

Rui snarled, rolling over in his bed and pulling the sheets closer to his body. "You wake me up every time you do that. Are you vampires always this emotional?" he asked sarcastically.

"Damatte…" I growled, ramming my foot against his bed and sending it into the other wall. "Don't forget who allowed for your lazy ass to stay here."

That's right… I almost forgot about Rui sometimes. He was still fairly new in the system, so it was easy to forget. We finally found his sister's killer; turned out to Wei had gotten into some bad company who wanted payment for their troubles of raising her. When she couldn't give them what she owed (which ended up to be Cross' head), they tied her to a tree and let the dogs at her, making it appear that Rui was the one that killed her. As for the encounter between Cross and the Wei look-alike, Cross still won't talk about it. So, once we deemed the case 'solved', Rui joined the Vampire Hunter's Association, but because of his strange situation, the association wouldn't provide him with housing. In the end, I gave in and let him stay at my rundown apartment for the past year. We made rules, of course: one wrong move from him, and a silver bullet would soon find its way to his skull.

"Hey," Rui's voice muttered.

"What do you want now?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

He turned around again, his golden eyes staring back. "What's going on between you and Kuran-sama? I haven't seen him around as much as I used to."

I sighed, replying, "That's none of your damn business."

His brow arched, and his pointed ears (yes, I found out later on that his ears were pointed) twitched. "Well, considering that I'm living with you and have interactions with the Kurans, I think I deserve to know stuff that goes on between you guys."

When I didn't reply, he scoffed and sat up, digging around in the desk for something. "What are you doing?" I complained.

"Looking for my cigarettes."

"I told you you can't smoke in here," I grunted.

Golden eyes flashed back at me, narrowed and angry. "You mope around and complain when you get emotional; I smoke. My way is quieter."

"And more deadly."

"Shut up." He sat heavily back on his bed, lighting his cigarette and blowing out a puff of smoke. "So, until you tell me what the hell is going on, I will smoke to my heart's content."

"You bastard…"

"I'm still smoking," he chimed.

"Tch, like I'd tell you." I stood, grabbing my coat and heading for the door.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"To work."

"… at three in the morning?"

"Fuck off."

I closed the door roughly behind me, sighing in relief to cut off that irritating argument. I just stood there in the hall for a while, looking down to my feet. If Yuuki wanted to tell me first of her pregnancy, it could only mean one of two things: either she wanted me to know first because of how close we were, or she was trying to take Kaname away from me. I scoffed, slapping myself in the face. What was I getting so worried about? I knew this would happen one day or another; I mean, Kaname and Yuuki were going to get married! So… did that make me the other 'woman' in the relationship?

Then I shook my head. This made no sense; Kaname wouldn't do that to Yuuki, not when they still weren't married. Besides that, he even told me he wasn't interested in her body.

_"I found that I can't do that to her; she's still so innocent, and I don't think she's going to change."_

Yes, those were his exact words. On top of that, the only action Kaname was getting… was from me. "So… I am getting jealous…"

"I know you're still out there; I can hear you breathin'," Rui's muffled voice sassed from behind the door.

Then… if Kaname wasn't forcing Yuuki to sleep with him… who _did _get into Yuuki's pants?

"Well… that is interesting…"

"Hm?" Rui asked. "What's interesting?"

I avoided the question. "Hey, can I borrow your car?" I questioned.

"Eh? What for?"

"I'm paying a visit to the Kurans."

"… At frickin' three in the morning?!"

I threw the door open, looking down on a flustered lycan who had been pushed to the floor. "Just give me your keys, dammit."

Rui pulled his lips back, revealing snarling fangs. "Like hell I'll give you my keys; that's the first car I've ever had, and you don't even have a license!"

"Rui… do you remember our agreement?"

"Ha… hai…"


	2. Chapter 2

Next I knew, I was pulling up to the mansion, careful to turn off my lights before they beamed on the dark windows. I knew Kaname would be awake; he always was. It would be odd if he wasn't working or reading at this time. Sure enough, in the lower corner of the house, a dim lit window glowed brightly in the dark early morning. I tapped on it gently, and soon Kaname's face appeared at the window; he looked… somewhat indifferent to see me. Or maybe that was because he was tired.

_What do you want?_ He mouthed.

"I wanna talk."

He nodded towards the front door before drawing away from the window. Within seconds, he was standing on the threshold. "What the hell do you want to talk about at three in the morning?" he yawned.

Now that I was here, I lost the courage to ask. Blushing, I looked down to my feet and twirled my thumbs. "I… uh, haven't seen you in a while, and I was driving by, so I thought I'd say hi," I lied.

His brown eyes dulled. "That's quite a distance to be going from town, if you were just driving by," he stated sarcastically. "What do you really want?"

"I… I want to know-"

"If I'm really the father?"

Huh? How did he know? "Um… yeah…"

Kaname sighed, roughing up his thick brown hair. "Come inside," he insisted. "I have to listen for the baby…"

I nodded, following him inside. In the living room, Aidou had crashed on the couch, snoring away with drool sliding from his open mouth. I guess even the live in mooch was feeling the effects of caring for a baby.

"Tea?"

"No thanks; I won't be here long."

Kaname sighed sleepily as he poured himself a cup of hot tea. "How long have you been questioning yourself about this?" he asked as he slumped at the kitchen table and leaned over his coffee like a tired man.

"A while," I replied, taking the seat beside him.

"Yuuki was wrong to tell you first; I'm sorry she did that."

So, he agreed with me? I wondered if he thought of the same questions I had. But, of course, I played stupid to get a genuine answer. "Really? Why do you think that?"

"Don't play dumb, Zero-kun."

_Shit._

"She knew that you and I were involved, and yet she took the liberties on calling you first about the news. In my opinion, that's a slap in the face."

"I agree!"

He blinked twice in shock before continuing on. "I am sorry that she did that to you, Zero-kun."

I lowered my head, trying to hide my flushing cheeks. "No, it's okay. It's just… after everything we've been through, and all that we've done, it still confuses me… are… are you the father?"

Kaname's eyes widened. "Hell no, I'm not the father," he retorted.

"Wha-?!" My mouth nearly hit the floor when I heard this. "What?! You're not the father?! You allowed someone else to get in Yuuki's pants?! She's your sister, for Christ sake!"

"Zero-kun…"

"Hai?"

"That's not what happened… Yuuki had been talking about wanting to continue on the Kuran family, but she was nervous about, well… anyways, she was artificially inseminated."

"… but… you're still not the father…" Kaname looked away, hiding his eyes from me. I gasped as the realization hit me. "Kaname… she doesn't know?"

"I honestly don't want kids; I never did," he replied calmly. "I just… just want to be with you, but I don't know how to tell Yuuki yet. Now that the baby's been born, I can't leave her." Then he leaned to the side, resting his head on my shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Please… I've been up since midnight yesterday… just… let me sleep like this…"

_Good… so I hadn't lost him. But what will this do to Yuuki when she found out? _

A small smile warmed my face as I leaned my head on his and drew him closer. "I'm glad…"

_(Time break!!!)_

"You were out all night; what the fuck were you doing?"

My eyes narrowed as I pushed my way into my apartment and set Rui's keys on the table. "Do I have the obligation to tell you or something? You're not my father."

His fists clenched at his sides as he tried to hold back from hitting me. "No, but I'm the one who owns the car; if you had gotten in a wreck or something, the cops would be knocking at our door wondering why I let an unlicensed driver take my car!"

Turning to face him, I let out a relieved sigh. "I'm… just happy."

Rui's brow raised. "Uh-huh… you look happier than normal; what did you and Kuran-sama do?" When I didn't answer, he chuckled and leaned against the wall. "I see now; it's love, ain't it?"

"Huh?!" I whirled around to glare at his smirking face. "H-how the fuck do you know? I haven't told you anything!"

He tapped his nose. "I can smell it… you know what I'm sayin'," he replied.

I shoved my coat in his face, saying, "Perv, don't get into my business," I growled. "Now what do you want?! You don't act like this unless it's something you want done."

Rui nodded towards my bed. "New case came in; I thought after everything that's been going on, you might want to be in the know."

After tossing my shoes on the floor and picking up the file, I scanned through the many black forms on the papers. "A kidnapper?" I asked, glancing back to Rui. "I work murder cases; why would they give me a kidnapping case?"

The lycan shrugged, saying, "Dunno, but look at the dates and bios."

My eyes widened as I took the time to read the case documentation. "Nobles?" I stammered. "They're taking the kids of… pureblood nobles?"

"Yep. Look at the ransoms, too. These kids are worth over a million U.S. dollars, but when the families pay, they never get the kids back. There's a chance that the kidnappers are selling the kids into slave trades to India."

These kids… they were so young. The oldest child was a girl, age fifteen; the youngest was a mere two years old, a little boy. "Are there any track records locating the kidnappers or the kids?" I asked, closing the file and setting it on my desk.

Rui shook his head. "These guys are really good about covering their tracks; we can't even tell how they got the kids and shipped them off." Then he handed me another list of names, adding, "These are the names of all nobles who have children under the age of fifteen."

I grabbed the list from him, scanning through the many names; damn, these pureblood nobles really liked to go at it. Then I saw it, the one name I wished to God wasn't on there:

Kuran.

"Call Cross and have him bring in each family for individual questioning. Also…" I paused. I wanted to do something incredibly selfish, something that I wouldn't do for a regular case. "Request that the Kurans have double security."


	3. Chapter 3

"What is the meaning of this, Zero-kun?"

Kaname didn't look or sound happy… at all…

I looked down to the ground, avoiding the strange look on Kaname's face. Standing behind me was a force of twenty vampire hunters, along with Rui. "We believe that… the baby may be in danger," I replied shakily. "We're placing extra protection around your house to ensure everyone's safety."

Kaname's brow rose. "I don't understand; you're hiring security to look after us?"

Yuuki appeared at the door behind him, the baby balancing on her hip. "Kaname-sama, Zero-kun, what's going on? Are we under arrest or something?"

The baby's wide hazel eyes glanced up to me, a toothless grin spreading unevenly on its chubby face. I stared at it hard; even I could tell that the kid wasn't Kaname's. The hazel eyes and light auburn hair… neither Yuuki nor Kaname had these traits. Was she seriously that blind? Did she really not know that Kaname wasn't her child's father?

"Several children of pureblood families have gone missing," I answered. "There's a list of other families who are being brought in for questioning. Until we find the kidnappers, we can't guarantee the children's safeties." Looking up, I was met with a very displeased look from Kaname.

"Zero-kun, tell me," he began slowly, "are the other families having security placed around their homes?"

"… no…"

He looked passed me, scanning over the hunters. "Tell them to get out," he said.

"Kaname-"

"Do you really think I can't protect my son? That I need help being a father?"

_My son… father…_

Those three words sent pangs of guilt to my chest, piercing my heart. I knew I shouldn't be surprised, but still… those words still hurt all the same. "K-kana…me… I just want to help you…"

Rui stepped forward, crushing his crumbling cigarette in his palm and tossing it to the ground. "Kuran-sama, I don't mean to butt in, but Kiryuu-kun is right. We have no leads on these kidnappers, and it appears that they strike randomly. He is only trying to protect you and your family to the best of his abilities."

Kaname's hard glare switched over from me to Rui; I could sense the lycan freeze in fear. "I don't need someone else to protect my family. Get out." Then he shut the door in our faces. Just like that.

Rui spat on the ground. "Wow, what a dickface. What's his problem?" he hissed.

I felt my hands form fists at my sides. What the hell was going on? Why was Kaname getting so protective over a child that wasn't even his? This made absolutely no sense, and my shaken mind couldn't sort it all out. When I saw him this morning, he said that he only wanted me, and that he would love me. Did this mean…

That it was all over?

"Kaname…"

With a nervous chuckle, Rui slapped me hard on the back. "Come on, guys," he called back to the other hunters. "They obviously don't want us here, so let's just go back and solve this damn case." Then he leaned down close to me, whispering, "Dude, what the hell has gotten into you?"

"Nothing," I snarled, slapping his hand away and turning quickly on my heel. I pushed passed the other men, not bothering to stop at the cars. I needed time to think… I needed to understand. About halfway across the lawn, I stopped, turning to look up to the mansion; I thought I saw Kaname at the window watching me before disappearing behind the curtain.

"That really hurt, Kaname…"

_My son…_

Deep down I knew he said that to cover up his secret from Yuuki, but still, those two words kept repeating over and over again in my mind. They just wouldn't get out of my head.

"That's not his son," I said to myself. "That's not his son… the kid's… not his son…"

_A father…_

I placed my hands over my ears and shook my head. "No," I whispered. "Stop it…"

That very short interaction caused the most heartache. Those few words that passed between us were probably the most painful. I couldn't get over it. When I reached the city limits, I was still seeing images of Yuuki and Kaname, living together like a happily married couple with a little child to complete the package. They looked so happy without me in the picture. I wasn't needed or wanted in their family.

"So… that's how it is…"

The sun had set and the moon dominated the sky by the time I got home. The walk that should have taken only an hour turned out to be three; I didn't remember stopping so many times, but I guess I paused here and there to think over things. A lot of things. When I walked in the apartment, Rui was pouring over the files on the desk. His ears perked up as I dropped my coat off at the door.

"Took you long enough to get back," he muttered without turning to me.

I sighed, falling face first onto my bed. "I can't believe… he said those things…"

Rui glanced at me from over his shoulder, removing his cigarette and crushing it in the cigarette bowl. "I know he was being a bit of a fuckward, but that doesn't mean it's the end for you two," he stated.

"… I never knew you knew we were seeing each other…"

He shrugged, turning in his seat to face me. "I know these things. It's almost like how animals can tell when another is in heat; I can sense things like that, too."

"… inu…"

His golden eyes dulled and his countenance fell. "Oi, just because I'm a lycan doesn't mean you have to call me a dog… we're not even related…" he said with a scowl.

"What should I do?" I asked, rolling over on my back and staring up at the ceiling. "I've been thinking over this for three hours, and I have no idea what a reasonable answer is…"

Rui shook his head. "I don't know…" Then his eyes brightened. "Hey… there's this really cool bar down the street from here; I was thinking of going sometime, but now that you're all down, a drink or two would cheer you up."

"I don't drink."

The lycan laughed as he pushed me up off the bed and to my feet. "Come on, man. You're spending too much time with the men; how about a taste of the other side, huh?"

"But… I'm tired…"

He slapped at my face playfully, saying, "Liven up, Kiryuu-kun! I've never seen you this down before. You're thinking too hard about all of this, and you're only going to end up doing more damage than good in the end. Dude… it's just a few drinks and some decent ladies. You're legal, right?"

"… yeah…"

"Picture it," Rui said as he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me from the apartment. "Two hot bachelors walking into a bar and taking all the ladies by surprise. I know I'm pretty irresistible, so tonight we'll put your manliness to the test."

"I'm manly enough, Rui. I don't need to take the stupid test…"

He stopped, arching his brow and cocking his head to the side. "Dude… the only action you've been getting is from a guy. And I'll bet you ten bucks he's the one on top."

"… shut the fuck up…"


	4. Chapter 4

I still was in a shitty mood when we got to the bar. Crowds of people were flooding in, and the air was thick with smoke and the scent of alcohol. The music was loud, vibrating painfully in my ears as Rui and I pushed past the dancing forms to the bar. I took a seat, leaning forward and away from Rui. The bartender came over to us, his eyes narrowed. "Had a bad day, kid?" he asked.

Rui leaned closer to me, wrapping his arm around my neck. "Shitty day," he replied for me. "Two hard ones; make mine with cherry."

The bartender nodded, turning away to fix our drinks. I pushed Rui off, saying, "I don't feel like drinking."

His golden eyes bored through my soul. "Dude, you're drinking whether you like it or not. It's not every day you're going to have a crap day and then the opportunity to go to a place like this; your time is limited."

"And yours isn't?"

The lycan shrugged. "I don't look a century old, do I?" he asked in return.

"… no…"

Rui nodded, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands behind his head of black hair. "Yep, that's right. If it all works out right, I'll live longer than Kuran-sama. Hell, I'll probably live longer than his kid."

My body tensed as he said this. _His kid._ Yeah, the kid who wasn't even his to begin with, and yet he cherished him like it was his. Damn baby… he was getting in the way. "I hate kids…" I muttered under my breath.

"There you go, boys."

We looked up as the bartender pushed two shots towards us, a little cherry floating in one. "That's mine," Rui stated, reaching for his drink and downing it in one swig. "Come on, enjoy the drinks while they last."

I picked up my glass, swirling the alcohol. I never drank before, and until now, I didn't plan on it. But if it would take this shit off my mind… The bitter alcohol burned my throat as I threw my head back and downed the drink. My shoulders shook as I coughed, "This tastes *cough* like *cough* shit…"

Rui smiled, clapping me on the back. "You'll get used to it. Just a few more, and you won't even notice the taste."

At first, I didn't believe him, but a few shots later, I began to think he was right. A couple of shots later, it had become like a regular thing; hell, I could hardly taste the bitter alcohol anymore. However, my tongue began to feel numb and my throat was scratchy. And still, all I could think about was what happened between me and Kaname. "You know," my voice slurred, "this isn't helping any…"

The lycan roared in laughter. "You still haven't experienced life yet! Dude, turn and look at what you've been missing!"

When I did turn around, I was nearly blinded by the many moving lights and forms of the dance floor. My head felt so light, and my body felt… fuzzy? "Oi," I drawled, swinging my head back towards Rui, "those people are moving… like… shadows and stuff…"

Rui raised his brow before patting my shoulder. "Dude, you really can't hold your liquor, can you?"

"I feel… happy…"

"Good," Rui exclaimed, clapping me on the back. "That's what this whole thing is for, to make you feel happy."

"But I still feel like shit…"

"Eh?!" The lycan leaned down close to me, shaking me lightly. "You're not supposed to have a hangover already!"

My mind was so scrambled, I had no idea what the hell I was thinking. But I knew that I still felt like crap, and the memories of today's shit were still fresh on my mind. "I don't have a hangover; I feel like I got rejected." I looked up to him, adding, "You ever been rejected before? It's fucking suckage right thaar…"

Rui laughed. "Here, you have some more drinks, and I'll bring back a few ladies to liven you up. Oi!" He turned back to the bartender, pointing at me. "Get this guy a few more shots!"

I groaned as Rui used me as a leverage to stand up and walk over to the dance floor. For a while, I just sat there alone, drinking my drinks and watching Rui dance. Was I really this pathetic? If there was something wrong between Kaname and me, I should be over at their house right now making amends or something; instead, I was sitting at a bar pouring over my troubles and getting wasted. I looked down to my watch, sighing at how late it was; it was two in the morning. Taking one last swig of my drink, I stumbled to my feet and sauntered up to Rui and his multiple dancing partners.

"Yo… I'm goin'," I said shakily.

Rui laughed as he pat me on the back. "Leavin' already? The chicks are just now comin' in though! Ladies, this is my pal Zero. He just got dumped."

"I didn't get dumped, jackass," I hissed. "We had a disagreement."

His brow raised. "Dude, you got dumped. I saw the whole thing; you got a door slammed in your face."

The three women around Rui winced and whispered amongst themselves. I figured they were feeling bad for me, but now I just felt tired of people feeling bad for me. "You piss me off," I growled as I reached into Rui's back pocket and yanked out his keys.

"Wha-hey! You can't drive! You're smashed!" he retorted, reaching for his precious keys.

"Yer walkin' home, jackass," I muttered before turning around and walking out.

Rui soon came after me, yelling and shouting, "Give me back my keys! You can't drive! You're drunk!"

I soon got tired of him shouting, so I turned and threw the keys at him. "You just made my night a whole hell of a lot worse, Rui," I stated, "this hasn't helped at all!"

Rui's golden eyes lowered as he said, "Man, I was just tryin' to help out. If you worry too much, then you're not gonna get much else done. Just relax."

"I'm in love with him, Rui!" I shouted, my own voice surprising me and forcing to fall back against the car. "I'm in love with him, and now this… this…" I didn't finish; my head began to swim uncontrollably and everything I said seemed to go in slow motion. Rui reached out to me, but his hand seemed to be so close to my face even when it wasn't.

"Duuuudddde," he seemed to say, "Aaaare yooooouuu oookaaaaay?"

Soon, his whole face seemed to be engulfed by shadows, and his hand became a black mass. I took a step to the side, shaking my head to clear my vision, but when I looked around again, everything had gone black. "I… can't see…" I murmured. Something hard and invisible took hold of my shoulder, shaking me. I'm sure Rui was yelling something, but everything he said became a jumble of sounds and motions. Next I knew, I felt like I was falling and something crashed against the back of my head. A dark form leaned over me, slapping at my face.

"Oi, Zero! Wake up, man, you're scaring me! Shit…" There was a pause and I felt desperate fingers dig around in my coat pocket. Loud beeps echoed relentlessly in my ears; with a yell, I covered my ears and rolled over on my side, my body tensing up so tight, it was painful to even move.

"I need an ambulance… I think my friend's been drugged…"


	5. Chapter 5

"Zero-kun… Zero-kun…"

Those words echoed over and over again in my head, tossing about like a boat on an angry surge of waves. The waves crashed and jumbled over each other with each syllable of my name, and before I knew it, I bolted upright and awake. I threw my arms over my face when blinding light pierced through my eyes and into my skull. "Turn off the damn lights!" I shouted. "Turn them off!"

Soon, darkness covered everything. Still, when I opened my eyes again, everything seemed so bright and fuzzy. I had no idea what the hell was going on, and the moving forms coming closer and closer to me frightened me out of my mind.

"Zero-kun, are you okay?"

I blinke'd twice at the question. "Am… am I okay? I have no idea where the fuck I am! I feel like shit! And who… who the hell are you?!"

A soft hand touched my cheek, the very movement of the soft fingertips stroking my face calming me. "You had a seizure," the voice stated, "you're in the hospital now."

Everything seemed to clear up immediately, and the dim light didn't hurt so much. I was staring up into Cross' worried face, and standing off in the distance behind him was Rui, who wore the same worried expression on his face as well. I looked around in a daze trying to piece the puzzle together. I had a seizure? On top of that, I was drunk? I had no memory of what happened last night whatsoever. My mind was still playing catch-up with everything, but there were chunks of time and space I was missing. "I… had a seizure?"

"You were… quite smashed," Cross said with a hint of disapproval in his voice. "At first we thought maybe someone slipped something into your drinks, but the doctor said that wasn't the case. You sent your body into such a shock that… you just couldn't handle it. I'm… I'm just glad that you're okay!" His arms were tight around me, nearly crushing my ribs and suffocating me.

"C-cross! What the hell, man?! Let go!" I yelled as I attempted to push him off.

He clung on tighter, sniffling back the tears of relief. "I'm just so glad… you could've died…"

"Let go! Rui, a little help here!" When Rui made no move to help, I gritted my teeth and landed a hard punch to Cross' face. "I'm not a kid anymore, so you don't need to cling onto me like a worried mother!"

Cross sighed, holding his throbbing nose. "I know, but can I not worry about you every once in a while?" his muffled voice asked. Then he pointed back to Rui, adding, "Even our new friend here was worried sick!"

Rui looked away guiltily, roughing up his shaggy black hair and closing his golden eyes. "Look, man, what happened last night wasn't Kiryuu's fault," he said thickly. "I… I was the one pushing the drinks on him. I had every right to be worried."

Cross sighed, closing his eyes as he patted my head. "It's okay, Rui-kun," he muttered under his breath. "I know you were just trying to help out, and I understand that. Just… don't go out drinking again, for my sake."

Rui nodded. "I understand, sir."

All I could remember from last night was the confrontation with Kaname and being dragged into a bar; everything after that was blank. I chuckled nervously, scratching the back of my neck and asking, "I… I didn't do anything stupid, did I?"

A grin spread on Rui's solemn face. "Aw, man, you were, like, the life of the party! There was this girl- no, two!- who were just all up on you, and damn, those were the finest thangs I ever saw!"

"Rui-kun!"

I couldn't help but laugh at Cross' flustered face and Rui's non-apologetic laugh. "Whoa, man, I was just making it up! Let the poor guy have a laugh or two!" he stated, raising his hands up to try to calm Cross.

"But… girls? I thought you were with Kaname-sama," Cross spluttered.

"It's a joke, Cross!" Rui shouted back. Then he lowered his gaze to the floor, adding, "Besides, they had an argument."

"What?" Cross turned to glance back at me, his brows raised in shock. "You and Kaname-sama got into a fight?"

I shifted uneasily, trying not to draw attention to myself. "Yeah… we did…" I muttered.

"Over what?"

Oh God, I didn't want to answer. No, I couldn't answer, but Cross' hard stare was glaring down at me relentlessly. I had no choice but to answer. "The kidnapping case… Kaname's family was on the list, so I took the initiative and tried to put security around their home to ensure the kid's safety, but he took it as a pride issue and shut the door on my face."

Cross winced. "Ouch… that's what you call a break up."

"Shut up!" I shouted back. "I… I tried to help, but…"

Rui's face changed suddenly, his mouth forming a perplexed scowl and his eyebrows furrowing. "Kiryuu-kun, about that… Kuran-sama left a voicemail on your phone. He wants you to come by later on. He said it was urgent… and private…"

"Huh?" My face contorted with confusion. After what happened yesterday, why would Kaname want to talk to me now? I was honestly in no mood to see him, and I bet he felt the same way. "Tell him I'm in the hospital."

"No can do," Rui replied. "He wants to see you as soon as you are able to move. It's about the case."

"Why can't you go over there and talk to him?"

The lycan bared his teeth. "I can't do that. I can't mend things that have been broken between you two." He turned away, saying, "Get dressed; I'll drive you over there when you come out."

I watched him walk out of the room, arching my brow with worry. "What's gotten into him all of a sudden? Wasn't he laughing a little while ago?" I asked, turning to Cross.

The hunter shrugged. "I don't know; Rui can get a little emotional at times, so I guess it's just part of his personality. Now about you and Kaname…" His voice died away, his expression becoming more serious. "I don't want you to mention what happened last night; even though you two got into a fight, deep down he still cares for you. If you tell him about what happened, he may never forgive himself."

I looked away, hiding the redness that colored my face. "W-why would he feel guilty about last night? Cross, I never understand what you hint at."

Cross leaned down closer to me, his eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what I'm saying. You and I both know what really happened, why you let yourself get to such a state; if it hadn't been for Kaname-sama, then you would have never gone to that bar and ended up here. Think of that when you go over there."

Even after he left and as I got dressed, I knew he was right. I didn't want to admit it, really, but I knew Cross couldn't be more correct.

Kaname was really the cause. Kaname was the reason for my stupid decisions last night. Kaname…

Was the one at fault for what happened…


	6. Chapter 6

Even after Rui dropped me off and drove away, I didn't have the courage to walk up to the front door and knock. I probably stood in the driveway for about ten minutes thining over what Kaname could possibly want with me. Did he really want to talk, or did he have something else in mind? Whatever it was, I prayed to God he was going to apologize for what he did yesterday. After a while, the door opened and Yuuki stepped out, craddling the three month old in her gentle arms.

"Oh, Zero-kun," she said hesitantly, "I didn't think you would be by so soon."

I shook my head with a sigh. "I didn't think so either. Is Kaname home? I got a message saying he wanted to talk."

Yuuki glanced down to her sleeping baby, saying, "He's not home now, but if you wait for a little while longer, he'll be back soon." When I didn't make a move towards the house, Yuuki sighed and pushed open the door wider. "Zero-kun... please..."

I couldn't say no to those warm pleading eyes. She was like my sister, for God's sake. How could I say no to my 'sister'? With a disgruntled sigh, I brushed by her and settled down on the couch, leaning my elbows on my knees and lowering my head. The cushions shifted as Yuuki sat beside me, her arms wrapped lovingly around her child.

"Zero-kun..." she started off slowly, "I want to apologize for Kaname's behavior yesterday. We both know you were just trying to help, but I guess he took it the wrong way. Again, I'm sorry."

I chuckled sadly to myself. "It's okay... I guess I overstepped some kinda boundary," I muttered. Something tugged weakly on my sleeve, and, looking down, I saw the baby's tiny hand on my arm and his wide hazel eyes staring up at me.

Yuuki laughed. "I think he likes you," she stated. Then she shifted the baby in her arms, holding his out to me. "Do you want to hold him?"

Honestly, no. I took one look at the baby and rage consumed me. This thing was what kept me separated from Kaname; this little human was what Yuuki was using to keep Kaname's attention on her. "Sure," I said, faking a smile and holding out my hands.

"Yuuki."

The two of us paused, turning to see Kaname standing by the front door; a sadened expression spread on his face as the baby turned in Yuuki's arms and held out his chubby arms towards the man he thought was his father. "Kaname-sama," Yuuki muttered as she drew back the baby. "You're home early."

"Yuuki," Kaname repeated, "leave us a while."

She remained silent, staring back to her brother with pleading eyes. What was going on? Did they have an argument earlier, or was this something else? For some reason, it seemed that she didn't want to leave. However, when the baby began to wriggle and cry, she briskly stood and left the room. Before she disappeared around the corner, though, she took a final glance back to me. Once she had left, Kaname took her place on the couch and set a crumpled note on my lap. "What's this?" I asked as I unfolded the paper and smoothed out the crinkles.

"It's a note from the hospital," Kaname replied. "It was in the mail this morning."

My eyes widened as my hands began to tremble. No... he wasn't supposed to know about last night. How did this notice get to him? This wasn't... supposed to happen. "Yeah," I said with a nervous laugh. "I wasn't paying attention and got hit by a cyclist. I'm okay, though; only minor cuts and bruises..."

_That was a good enough story... I think..._

"You were intoxicated last night, Zero-kun. Don't try to lie to me about it."

_Shit._

I felt as if I was burning with guilt and embarressment under Kaname's hard stare. Deep down, I wished I could disappear into thin air or morph with the couch so he couldn't see me. But I couldn't. I could only endure Kaname's eyes and judgment until I could bear it no longer. "Yeah, I got drunk," I stated begrudgingly. "I felt like shit yesterday..."

"Was it because of what happened between us?"

My breath hitched at his sudden question. Well, it wasn't sudden at all. I should have known that he would ask one day or another; I just never expected it to be so soon. There was no way to hide this from Kaname. He would know if I was lying or not, so it would be easiest for me just to tell him. But I couldn't. I didn't want to make matters worse.

Kaname exhaled deeply, leaning forward to push aside my bangs. "I didn't want to do that to you, but I had to. Placing security around me and my family would draw more attention to us, as well as you. In the end, it would have all been futile."

My fists tightened. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place? If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have gone to the bar in the first place! You... you dick! I've been worrying over nothing?!"

Kaname smiled, his eyes turning warm. "Do you think your lycan friend would have let up on you if he found that I was only protecting you?"

I paused; I never thought of that before. Now that I thought about it, I could picture Rui's reaction in my mind.

_"Ha! You had to have some guy take care of ya! Fail!"_

"Guh..." I muttered with a shiver. Rui would do that...

"Good," Kaname said with a tilt to his head and small chuckle in his voice. "I'm glad we got this all settled."

"This isn't settled! This is far from settled! I think I deserve some sorta apology or somethi-"

I was cut short when Kaname suddenly pulled me closer and stole the words from my mouth... literally. His touch was so gentle and his hand on my own was warm, comforting. After this, I couldn't be angry with him even if I wanted to. This kiss made up for it all; in the end, I found that it was all I really wanted. When he pulled away, I was left gasping for more, buthe just smile playfully and lightly put a finger to my lips. "Is that apology enough for you?" he asked with a slight twist to his tone.

"... yeah..."

He cupped my face in his warm hands, touching his forehead to mine. "I can't let you call the shots around here; if you did, not only would we be at a greater risk, but so would you... I... i don't know what would happen if I lost you..."

"... I never thought about that..."

"Zero-kun," he whispered gently. "I only have you in mind, and you alone. Don't forget that."

My heart fluttered as he said those words. Despite everything that happened, I was so happy words could not describe it. Just sitting there close to Kaname was enough, but to hear him tell me that was pure joy.

"Kaname... arigatou..."

_(The lovers have made up! Y_ay!! _But what will happen next?? Read to find out!!)_

"You'd better wipe that smug grin off your face and tell me what's goin' on."

Rui was standing before me, dripping wet from the shower. I ignored his drenched (and half naked) self, plopping back on my bed and sighing a hearty sigh. "Oh, even if I could tell you, I wouldn't," I sang.

The lycan sighed, roughing up his head of wet black hair and rolling his golden eyes. "I'm guessing you two made up, then," he stated, turning back around and sifting through the pile of clothes on his bed.

I sat up, facing his tatooed back and smirking. "Yeah, we made up alright," I said with a sarcastic twist.

Rui looked back over his shoulder, his brow creasing. "Look, man, I don't want the details; I'm just glad you're happy... for now..."

"Huh?" My ears perked up as he said that last part. "What do you mean 'for now'?"

"We got taken off the kidnapping case," came the reply.

"What the hell for?"

He tossed an opened letter in my lap, answering, "We're getting transferred...

... to America..."


	7. Chapter 7

"Kiryuu-ojisan! Kiryuu-ojisan!"

The tiny voice caught me unawares as I stepped into the terminal at Narita Airport. That voice... I'd never heard it before. Standing on my toes, I looked around the many heads of people looking for the owner of the voice. "Who's... who's calling me?"

Something tugged at my pant's leg, and wide hazel eyes stared up at me. I hadn't seen those eyes in nearly three years. Could it really be...? "Kiryuu-ojisan! Do you remember me?" the little boy asked, a huge smile on his face.

I chuckled lightly, kneeling down to his height and roughing up his curly brown hair. "Of course I remember you, Shizuku. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He nodded, bouncing his head up and down. "I'm thwee years old now," he stated, holding up four fingers.

"You're gettin' big, Shizuku."

"Yeah. Daddy says that when I get older, I'll be big and strong like him!"

Daddy. That word still struck a harsh chord with me. Even though Kaname raised this boy as a father-figure, he did not love him. He had no reason to; he and I both knew Yuuki was using her son to separate us and, above that, Kaname wasn't even his father. It was all a harsh reality Shizuku would learn of when he was older. I genuinely felt sorry for the poor kid.

"Yo, Zero, don't sit in the middle of the airport; you'll get trampled," Rui's voice stated behind me.

I stood, patting Shizuku's head lightly. "Let's go find your parents, okay?"

Shizuku was beaming as he took hold of my hand and led the way down the halls of Narita. His hand was so small, like Yuuki's. Though, now that he was older, he looked nothing like hs mother, save for his small hands. I wondered why that was.

"There they are! Mommy! Daddy!" The boy let go to run towards his parents, who were waiting anxiously at the baggage claim. Yuuki looked older now, her hair cut shorter and pulled back in a half ponytail. She was dressed in a classy tea-length skirt and an expensive white blouse. Kaname looked the same as he had three years ago; to see him again after all this time made my heart race.

"Zero-kun!" Yuuki exclaimed as she ran up to me and hugged me tightly. "You're home."

"Yeah... I'm home," I replied, staring back at Kaname.

Rui set his carry-ons to his side, stretching out his arms. "Whoa, missy, do I not get any lovin' either?" he asked playfully.

Yuuki pulled away from me, a slight scowl on her face. "You sound different... Texan maybe?"

The lycan chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, Chicago. Did it really carry over that bad?"

I playfully punched Rui in the shoulder. "That bad? Hell, I can't even understand a word you say anymore!" I stated.

Rui blushed, looking away and scoffing. "Damn..." he muttered.

Shizuku pulled lightly on my arm, saying, "Mommy says those are no-no words."

"No-no words?" I repeated, glancing back to Yuuki. "Come on, Mom, be more original."

Her brow furrowed. "I am being original! I don't want my son saying those things!"

Kaname drew beside her, touching her arm. "The car is waiting outside. You and Shizuku should head on out."

Yuuki's cheeks turned bright red as she looked down to her son ad took his hand. "Let's go, Shizuku. Let's wait in the car."

Together, mother and child walked away; it was almost picture perfect the two of them holding hands as they turned their backs on us. Kaname seemed relieved once they had gone, turning to Rui and me with a small smile. "Your bags should be here by now. Do you need help with them?"

I grinned. "Maybe; Mr. Tourist here had to buy everything the saw," I replied, nodding towards Rui.

The lycan bared his fangs. "Hey now! I figured since we were going to America, I might as well stock up on souvenirs!" he stated. "Besides, you bought a lot of crap too!"

We finally got our luggage, totally six bags; two were mine, and four, well, you can guess who they belonged to. "What all did you buy there?" Kaname asked as we started packing the car.

"Well," Rui began, scratching the back of his neck, "a few shirts, some shoes, some stuff to liven up the apartment... what else...?"

"You packed an entire suit case full of sex toys and pornos," I added with a scowl.

Rui glanced back at me, shocked. "You weren't supposed to know about that!" he exclaimed.

Kaname leaned back, examining the trunk. "I don't think we can fit anymore in here," he stated. It was true; the trunk was full and the toddler seat in the back of the car nearly took up the whole back seat. There was no way we would all fit. With a sigh, Kaname handed Rui the car keys and said, "You know the way, right?"

My friend studied the keys nervously. "Um, yeah. Are you sure you trust me to drive? I've been driving on the right side of the road for three years now."

The pureblood patted him on the shoulder. "I trust you." Then he leaned in closer, whispering, "Take them to lunch somewhere. They haven't eaten yet."

Rui must have gotten the hint, for he looked back at me and winked. "Will do. Even better, I'll tell them you both got stuck in traffic."

Kaname nodded. "Good man."

We stood there a while after Rui drove off with Yuuki and Shizuku, waiting for a taxi to pick us up. Now that we were alone together, I couldn't help but shiver with delight. For the first time in three years, I was with Kaname again. I thought I was going to explode with anxiousness as well as exitement.

"Zero-kun, the taxi's here."

I blinked and shook my head, looking back to see the yellow car pull up to the curb. "Oh," I muttered as I grabbed my bags and tugged them to the taxi. "Thanks for coming to pick us up," I said after we got in the car. "I know you probably had other plans today."

Kaname shook his head. "No, I cleared my schedule for today. I wanted to spend as much time with you as I could before you went back to the Association."

My face blushed red at his words. To think that this man could get anything he wanted and have anyone he lusted after, he chose me. Why was I so special to him after having had hated eachother for nearly five years? Why was I the one whom he did so much for?

"Where are you headed, sirs?" the taxi driver asked, looking up into the rearview mirror.

For his answer, Kaname leaned forward and handed the man a wad of bills. "You know where to go."

The driver's eyes widened as he took the money and stuffed it in his pockets. "Hai, Kaname-sama."

My brow furrowed. "Huh? Are we not going home?" I asked.

"Not yet," the pureblood answered as he leaned in closer and lightly touched my cheek. "I have a surprise for you."

"... you know I hate surprises..."

"Trust me," he murmured, "you'll like this. Besides, we have some catching up to do."

I nearly melted as Kaname's lips touched to mine, tenderly at first and then more desperate, pushing me deep against the taxi seat. My whole body shivered as Kaname's tongue slipped into my mouth and entangled itself with my own. When Kaname pulled away, we were both gasping for breath. Oh God... I missed this _so _much. To be three years away from this man was pure torture, and now to be with him again was enough to make me die a happy person.

"Kaname..." I breathed, "I've missed you... so much..."

He grinned, brushing aside my bangs and kissing my forehead. "Welcome home."


	8. Chapter 8

"When can I open my eyes? I've already run into the wall once…"

"We're almost there… okay, stop and drop your bags there; you won't be needing them for a while."

I let my bags drop to my sides and stood still, reaching out my hands for something to guide me. Cold fingers wrapped around my hand, pulling me gently. A short while later, Kaname let go and said, "Okay.

Slowly opening my eyes, I was immediately lost in awe and shock. We were standing in a well furnished room, or rather yet, a really expensive apartment. "Kaname…" I gasped, "Did you…?"

"It's all yours… and Rui-sans', of course; you two will have separate bedrooms now," Kaname replied with a small grin.

The living room was amazing; the couches were of white and black French embroidery, and the dark oak coffee table between the couches really set off the room. The kitchen had an open bar connecting to the dining area where a round table had been set up. Lining the walls were black bookshelves filled with books, picture frames, and pots of ivy. And this wasn't even half of it.

"Oh… my…"

"What do you think?"

"What do I think?! How much do I owe you?!"

Kaname shrugged it off, saying, "You need to be treated every once in a while. Think of this as a welcome home gift."

My eyes widened. "You bought me a fuckin' new apartment! This is way more than a gift!"

The vampire's brow cocked, his lips curling into a sultry grin. "So you want to pay me back?" he asked, leaning in closer to pull at my t-shirt collar."

I blushed, pulling away. "I can't… not now, at least."

"Why not?"

"Your family and Rui will be expecting us soon."

"No they won't; Rui knows what to do."

A gasped escaped me as Kaname embraced me tightly, pushing me against the wall and claiming my lips for his own. "No," I breathed, turning my head away and pushing him back gently. "I just got back from sitting on a plane for fourteen hours; I need to sleep."

Kaname leaned in closer, his cold hands reaching up under my shirt and stroking my chest and stomach. "Are you going to deny me your body after three years have passed? You're cruel, Zero-kun."

My entire body shivered as his hot lips enclosed around the nape of my neck, lightly sucking my pale skin. I moaned at the icy touch of his fingers on my skin, and an unexpected gasp slipped from my lips as he expertly unbuckled my belt and pulled down my pants below my hips.

"You've been longing for this, haven't you?" he breathed against my neck. "You're already hard."

"Sh-shut up…" I muttered.

My head craned back and my fingers grasped at Kaname's hair when his fingers slipped into my pants and gently rubbed along my already weeping length. The familiar numbness ran through my legs, my knees trembling and threatening to buckle. Kaname's lips pressed onto mine again, his mouth and tongue stealing the moans and gasps from my quaking voice. I groaned as my legs finally gave out and we slid against the wall down to the floor. Kaname's fingers were relentless as ever, his thumb massaging along my tip. "Ka-kaname… Oh, God…"

The vampire chuckled lightly as he slid off my pants and threw them off to the side. "Take off your shirt," he whispered, "it's in the way."

I quickly removed my t-shirt only for Kaname to press in closer, his breath hard on my chest. "Zero-kun…" he murmured, "do you love me?"

My body trembled as I ran my fingers through his thick hair and grasped his shoulders tightly; his fingers were more persistent now, and it was hard to form coherent sentences. "Yes…" I breathed. "I do… love you…"

Kaname smiled. "Good."

I nearly lost it when Kaname lowered his head and tauntingly licked the sensitive nerve along my length before he took me in. "Nnyah!"

His hand began to slowly pump in rhythm with his hot moist mouth, every suck drawing a desperate gasp from my throat. "Kaname… I'm-nah-comin'…"

He ignored my pleas, the gyration of his hand becoming faster along with each bob of his head. A shocked hitch in my breath caused my heart to leap as two long digits slowly pushed their way inside me. Sharp pain suddenly shot through my limbs as Kaname's fingers stretched and rubbed against the tight muscle; you would think I might be used to something like this by now, but every time was like the first. My eyes glazed over with ecstasy as the pain slowly died and only pleasure was left over. I barely managed to hold back a scream when Kaname's fingers brushed against that sweet spot, covering my mouth and stifling the urge to yell. Kaname wasn't pleased with my reaction, for he looked up to me and whispered, "What was that? I want you hear you scream."

I nearly ripped out a chunk of Kaname's hair as he purposely pushed his fingers deeper within me, my body trembling and begging for release. "Ngh… you bastard… I don't like-aaahh… being fucked with-haah…"

"It's a little late for that, isn't it?"

My back arched as a breathless cry echoed in my ears and shook my body as Kaname took a final plunge with his daring fingers. I closed my eyes and fell back against the wall, my chest heaving with each breath. Kaname withdrew his fingers to massage the hot stickiness of my release against my stomach. "Now, that wasn't too hard to do, was it?" he cooed in my ear.

A smirk spread on my face. "You have… no idea…"

The vampire pulled me away from the wall, pushing me down to the floor until he was looking down on me from above. He chuckled as his traced invisible designs on my firm chest and stomach. "You know, if you leave me like that again, I might have to chase after you," he stated. "I don't want anyone else to take you when you're away from me."

As he said this, he took hold of my ankles and spread my weak legs wide, all while hovering mere inches above me. I shut my eyes tightly and bared my teeth in pain as I felt the pureblood begin to push himself slowly inside me. Even though his fingers loosened me up, it still hurt like hell. "Fuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkk…" His cold hands stroked me comfortingly up and down my sides, his soft voice like a melody in my ears.

"It's okay; relax. Breathe slowly…"

My breathing didn't slow, however; in fact, each breath became mere gasps and gulps of air as Kaname began to slowly thrust in and out of me, each movement dulling the pain further and further. After a short while, I gave him the nod and each jolt that followed after sent me on a delirious journey of screams and wails. Three years I've gone without this, without this love and touch. I decided I would never EVER go that long without it again. Kaname hung his head low, closing his eyes as cold sweat streamed down his face. "Zero-kun… you feel…"

He never finished, for as we both neared our climax, the annoying sound of a cell phone rang out loudly through the apartment. Kaname scowled as he said, "Ignore it."

"Hai…"

But then it rang again. And again. With a disgruntled moan, I reached over for my discarded pants and searched the pockets. Rui was calling, and apparently I had missed three other calls from him. "What the fuck do you want?" I asked breathlessly. "I'm doing something right now."

Rui's voice was shaken on the other end; it seemed like he was having to take gulps of air just before he could speak coherently. "Zero…" he began slowly, "I… we need you here… There's been an accident…"

My eyes narrowed. "What kind of accident?" I asked, glancing up to Kaname.

"Shizuku…

… he's been kidnapped…"


	9. Chapter 9

"What happened? What the hell is going on?"

Rui stared back at me blankly, his eyes wide and filled with shock. "I… I don't know… it all happened so fast…"

I looked down to his right arm, which hung lifeless to his side; it was wrapped tightly in a bloodied bandage, and every once in a while his fingers twitched. "Your arm…" I stated, staring at his bandaged wound.

The lycan looked away, his eyes narrowing in shame. "I was shot; it's nothing major. You need to worry more about Yuuki and Shizuku," he said hesitantly.

"Rui… what the hell happened?"

He sighed heavily, holding his limp arm. "We were driving back to the house. You know that little back road around the back? Well… we got jumped, and… Zero… they took Shizuku…"

Kaname and I stood petrified, shocked. "But…" I stammered, "Why would someone randomly attack you? That makes no sense!"

"Remember that case three years ago?"

"… the kidnapping case…"

Rui nodded and glanced down to his feet. "It was them, Zero… it was them…"

"Cross told us the case had been handled!" I shouted back, grabbing hold of the lycan by his shoulders and shaking him. "Why the hell would these be the same guys?!"

My friend closed his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know… there have been several kidnappings, but the Association apparently never did anything about them. I guess… I guess Shizuku was next…" He swooned, his legs caving in beneath him and his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

"Rui!"

I tried to catch him, but he was too heavy for me to hold up; we both tumbled to the floor, his limp body trapping me against the tiles. Kaname quickly knelt down and dragged him off me, rolling him over and helping me up. His face was pale, and the veins in his neck bulged. When I put my hand against his chest, I was horrified to find his heart was racing at such a high rate; something like that should have sent him into cardiac arrest by now. "Hey, nurse! Why the hell didn't you treat him?! Get the fuck over here!" I shouted to the nearest nurse.

She ran over to us, her eyes wide with worry and her hands trembling. "We can't treat him now! The doctors all have patients!" she stated.

"Fuck that! Get him a doctor… NOW!"

Kaname gently brushed aside Rui's thick black hair and touched his forehead. "Zero, he's burning up," he stated.

I bit my lower lip, thinking. The staff here wasn't going to do shit about this, and there was no time to take Rui to another hospital to be treated. With a grunt, I heaved Rui's limp form over my shoulder, saying, "Kaname, open the door."

The nurse immediately interfered. "Y-you can't go back there!" she shouted, spreading out her arms to block us from the emergency room doors. "You have no right or authority to go in there!"

"Do you want a dead civilian on your hands?" I asked.

She blinked twice. "W-what?"

"If he dies, all blame will go to your hospital for not treating him. So, if I were you, I'd get the fuck out of my way and let me do what needed to be done in the first place."

At first, she wouldn't budge, but then she sighed and moved away. "Don't tell them I let you back there," she sighed.

I nearly kicked down the doors and ran, yelling back to Kaname, "Call Cross! Get him over here!"

"Z-zer…ro…"

My friend's words were faint and raspy, almost as if it was killing him just to speak. I paused, coming to a split in the hall and hesitated; which way was the emergency room? Damn, this place was so complicated. "You're going to be okay," I stated as I continued to the right, studying each closed door I came to. "We're getting you help now."

Rui gave a faint chuckle which soon died away into a coughing fit. "You're… doing so much… for me…" he muttered, "Ari…arigatou…"

"Hey man, you wanna tell me what's going on now? You looked fine earlier," I breathed.

"Silver…"

"What?"

"Silver bullets…"

My eyes widened as the realization hit me. So, he was shot with a silver bullet? But he wasn't hit in any vital region, just his arm. Why would he have such a reaction like this?

Eventually, I just gave up finding a doctor and barged into the first room I came to. The doctor and patient, a little five year old girl with a cut across her forehead, both whirled around in their chairs, shocked to see us there. The doctor stood, saying, "You aren't authorized to be back here."

"Screw that! Help him!" I shouted back.

The little girl stared at Rui's pale face as the doctor helped me lay him down on the (word for the bed-like thing in all clinics/hospitals where the doctor is like 'so, how do you feel?' or 'when was your last menstrual period?', but I can't think of the word and am too lazy right now to look it up), her grey eyes saddening. Then looking up to me, she asked, "Is your friend going to be okay?"

I shook my head and clenched my fists. "I don't know…"

The doctor quickly herded the girl out of the room, whispering, "Wait out here for your mommy to come get you." Then he shut the door, turning back to me. "I was in the middle of an appointment."

"Do you think my friend cares?" I shot back. "He's dying."

The man's eyes widened as he felt for Rui's heartbeat. "This…" he gasped. "With this heart rate, he shouldn't be alive…"

At this point, the doctor actually began to do his job. He dialed an emergency code on the hospital phone, saying, "This is Sakamoto Takuya! I need a full crew in the emergency room ASAP!" With a hurried grunt, Takuya (the doctor) quickly began shoving me out of the room. "I can't work with you in here! Out!"

"He's fucking dying!" I shouted back. "I ain't leavin'!"

"Ze…ro…"

I looked over the doctor's shoulder to see Rui's gold eyes open slowly and a weak smile brighten his paled face. He looked to be in so much pain, and yet he still managed to smile. I had to hand it to that guy, he could even liven up a funeral with that attitude of his. "Yeah?" I replied.

"Just go… I'll be fine… Yuuki… Yuuki needs you and Kuran… sama now…"

He was right; Yuuki was a victim of all this as well, and yet I couldn't find it in myself to leave. This lycan… I had only known him for a year, but I was acting as if we had known each other forever. It was shameful, really. So, to relieve the tension of the situation, I pointed at Rui and shouted, "You mother fucker, if you die… I'm gonna kill you!"

"Do it… I can't wait… for that day…"

_(Oh no! Rui, don't die!( I feel kinda weird adding my own character to the story, but it could be worse; I could have made Rui a Mary Sue! Lol, but no.) What will happen next? Will Rui survive? Will Zero find Shizuku in time before the worse comes to pass? Read on to find out!!!) _


	10. Chapter 10

"How is he doing?"

The doctor tilted his head from side to side, answering, "We've got him under stable conditions now. I've never seen anything like this; you said he had been shot, yes?"

I nodded.

With a deep inhale, the doctor continued, "We couldn't find the bullet. What we did find, however, was trace amounts of dissolved silver in his bloodstream. Based off his blood work, your friend should have died… almost a hundred years ago…"

My eyes widened. I mean, I knew Rui was at least a century old, but this? This was the first time I heard he should have died way back then. Had he been hiding something all this time? "Is… is he awake?"

Doctor Takuya nodded. "He's awake as ever; he asked to see you." He then stepped out of the way, gesturing towards the closed door behind him. "He's in there."

I don't know why I felt so nervous when I first set my hand on the door knob. It was almost as if I didn't know what was waiting for me behind this door, this safety barrier. When I finally opened the door, I was somewhat relieved. It was the same old Rui.

When he saw me his pale face lit up, his golden eyes sparkling with life, and a weak smile spreading on his face. "Yo," he rasped with a small wave of his hand.

"Hey," I replied, closing the door behind me and taking a seat beside him. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, tilting his head to the side. "Could be worse. This is so strange… normally you're in the hospital."

I chuckled. "Have you tried the pudding yet?" I asked.

"Aw man, I'm addicted."

We both laughed lightly before it all faded into an awkward silence. I folded my hands together and stared down at my feet. "Rui," I started off slowly, "the doctor found something weird in your charts. He said… you should have died a hundred years ago."

Rui's smile died away, a somber expression replacing it. "Way to kill the pudding mood," he said quietly. "Huh… I almost forgot about that. Truth is I'm a lot older than a hundred… Zero, I'm comin' up on my three hundredth birthday."

I nearly hacked up a lung as he said this. "You're what?!"

"See this scar?" he asked in return, pointing to a jagged mark that ran from the nape of his neck down to his collar bone. "I got cut down by an Imperial swordsman during the White Lotus Rebellion. And those tattoos on my back cover up the whip lashes from when I was taken captive during the Opium War."

Those tattoos… now that I thought about it, it all made sense. The black wings he had gotten were the perfect cover up; with the detailed feathers, no one could tell he had been scarred. This guy… was a walking piece of history.

"Rui," I said in astonishment, "you never cease to amaze me."

He smiled again. "You ought to take a look at that blood work; I've had just about every disease known to man… except for down there."

We shared another small moment of light laughter. Rui… although he endlessly got on my everlasting nerve, he had to be the most interesting person I knew. I had an entirely different perspective of him now.

"Hey… how's little missy?"

I sighed and looked down to my feet again. "She's not saying much. She spends all day clutching her pillow and crying," I responded.

"And Shizuku?"

"We've got people looking for him."

"Zero… you should be other there with them. He's your friend's son."

No he wasn't. I couldn't tell Rui that, though. He wouldn't understand that Kaname did not love Shizuku and that Yuuki was using her son to separate us. If anything, this would break Rui's heart. I moved onto a lighter topic, saying, "We've got a new apartment now; you can have your own bedroom to smoke to your heart's content."

Rui smiled. "Yeah, I know about the apartment. Kaname and I have been keeping that a secret from you for almost a year now."

"Eh?"

Kaname and Rui together planned this? I could see Kaname's reasons for getting the apartment for me, but Rui? He may have just wanted the place for his own benefits. However, I couldn't help but smile and rough up his black hair. "You little bastard, you've been hiding that from me all this time?" I asked playfully. "How thoughtful of you!"

"Shut up," Rui retorted, grabbing my hand and pulling my fingers from his hair. He sat in silence for a short while, staring down at my open palm. At first, I didn't think anything of it, but when he began tracing the creases of my palm, I felt my face go red and quickly pulled away.

"What are you doing?" I asked, clenching my hand into a tight fist.

"You're going to die young."

"What?"

Rui leaned over, unfurling my fingers and pointing to a line on my palm. "That's your life line. It's kinda short, so that means you won't live very long. And here." His finger traced along another line on my hand, the gentleness sending goosebumps up and down my arm. "This means that you've won't have any children."

I lowered my eyes. "Huh… I always figured I'd be the last Kiryuu…" I muttered. "What does your hand say?"

He held up his palm, saying, "That I'd live to be one hundred and have four kids."

"… that's pretty fucked up…"

We both knew I wasn't kidding around when I said that. Truthfully speaking, Rui's whole entire life was fucked ever since his existence began. Here he was, a three hundred year old lycan with no hope to achieve an heir. He was like me: the last of our kind.

Judging from the look on his face, Rui probably read my mind. "Look, Zero," he muttered, shifting his gaze away and letting go of my hand, "this whole thing about my past… I don't want you to worry about it. Life's a piece of shit when you look at it, but there's nothing to feel sorry for. So don't worry about me, okay? You need to be thinking more about the case."

I sighed. "All right. The evidence from the crime scene is being looked over right now. We're trying to figure out the type of gun the bastard shot you with, so we're kinda at a stand still."

"It was a forty-four caliber."

Rui's eyes widened as a wide grin lit his face. "Ohaiyo, Cross-san. I didn't expect to see you here."

Cross was standing behind me, a somber expression darkening his face. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better."

"Good." Cross' eyes scanned down to me, narrowed and sad. "I need you to make an arrest, Kiryuu-kun. We seem to have caught the culprit behind Shizuku's kidnapping."

I grinned, standing up and raising my arms above my head in a stretch. "About damn time. So, who's the bastard?"

"… why don't you ask Shizuku's mother…"


	11. Chapter 11

Yuuki was a bawling fit when she saw me walk in with the handcuffs. With a yelp, she grabbed her pillow and hugged it tightly, burying her face in it. Kaname was standing off in a corner, his arms crossed and head bowed. Judging from the look on his face, I assumed he knew what I was here for.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, shutting the door behind me.

The trembling pureblood before me didn't answer, but instead cowered further behind her pillow. Before I could threaten her to answer, Kaname had calmly walked over and grabbed the pillow from her.

"No!" she cried, reaching for her only protection from me.

The sound of skin smacking skin rang loudly as Kaname's flat palm found its mark on Yuuki's face. "You _will_ answer the question," he growled through bared fangs.

I could never understand what he must have been going through. To find that the one you've loved for so long would go to such extremes to keep him and me apart… it must have been excruciating.

Yuuki hesitantly touched her bruised cheek, the tears swelling up in her eyes. For a while, she was speechless, her mouth open but no words were coming out. When Kaname raised his hand again, I calmly took hold of his wrist, saying, "I got it, Kaname. Let me handle this." Then turning to Yuuki, I repeated, "Why did you do it?"

"… I thought… I thought if something happened to me and Shizuku… Kaname-sama would love us again… I thought it would make us a family again," she replied shakily.

I sighed and lowered my head. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but at the same time I couldn't stand to look at her. The very thought that she would have her son kidnapped for the sake of tearing me and kaname apart sickened me. "That's not the real reason, is it? You're jealous," I muttered.

"Jealous?" Yuuki repeated as she glared up at me. "Why would I be jealous? I was angry! You took Kaname-sama away from me! He was my past, present, and future, and yet you thought you could get in the way!"

"Zero-kun did not purposely step between you and I," Kaname's voice said behind me. "You allowed for there to be enough space between us, and I wanted it filled. I put Zero-kun between us."

Yuuki's eyes widened, a pitiful expression on her face. "Kaname-sama…" she gasped.

Kaname scoffed and looked away. "Don't look at me like that; your pity won't cover up your mistake. You went too far, Yuuki."

"But I didn't!" she shouted back. "I had to do this, for my sake as well as Shizuku's! I know… I know that Kaname-sama is not Shizuku's father. I've known that for a while now. It's just… I thought Shizuku would bring us together, but when you kept ignoring us, I knew I had to do something."

"How do you expect me to love someone who isn't mine? It's not natural."

Yuuki nodded towards me. "Kiryuu isn't yours to keep and yet you love him. Why can't it be the same with our so-"

"He's not _our_ son! He's your pathetic attempt to force me to love you!" Kaname did not look so forgiving, his eyes dark and narrowed. "Yuuki, in the years that you have been living under my roof, you have yet to fully accept your pureblood nature. I've been waiting for so long, and yet you never came to me. I got tired of waiting for you to become what you were born to be."

Yuuki wailed, throwing herself onto Kaname and holding him tightly. "Please don't leave me!" she cried. "I only wanted what was best for us! I… I love you!"

I watched on painfully as Kaname pushed her away and turned towards me, he eyes glued to the floor. "Yuuki… my love for you died a long time ago," he muttered. Then glancing up to me, he said, "I'm finished here."

With a deep sigh, I pulled the handcuffs from my back pocket and said, "You can make this easy on yourself, Yuuki. Tell us who took Shizuku and where he might be now."

"… they're lycan hunters… maybe they could tell you where they took him…"

"What?"

I was too shocked to spear at her response. She didn't even know where her son was? But she planned it all, so she of all people would know. Even Kaname stopped to glare at her from over his shoulder. "How can you not know?" I asked in disbelief.

Yuuki shook her head. "They diverted from the plan. They knew Rui would be there, so I asked them not to hurt him. But when Rui got shot… I knew things had gotten out of hand. It… it wasn't supposed to be like this…"

Her wrists were so small and fragile as I locked the cold handcuffs to her. My words were slow and shaky as I uttered, "Kuran Yuuki, you are under arrest for the planned kidnapping of Kuran Shizuku and assault of Mao Rui. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be used against you."

Another hunter was waiting in the lobby to take Yuuki off my hands. It felt so strange, having to hand her over and know I might never see her again. She didn't look back as the hunter led her out the double doors, and I was thankful for that. I didn't think I could bear to look at her face.

"You did the right thing," a familiar voice said behind me.

"I don't feel right about this whole thing," I replied, turning to Cross. "I didn't think I'd be arresting her."

Cross sighed deeply, crossing his arms. "None of us did."

"Did you tell Rui yet?"

"Yeah," the man replied. "He's not too happy about it. He doesn't understand why Yuuki would betray her friends and family and then have her son kidnapped. Rui was especially questioning about the lycan hunters."

"I don't want Rui on the case anymore."

"Why's that?"

"Lycan hunters. Rui's kind of a lycan. Piece the puzzle together."

"… oh…" He patted my shoulder comfortingly, adding, "I know this is a hard time for you, but don't forget that Kaname-kun must be going through a rougher time. He needs you now."

"… I know…"


	12. Chapter 12

"They were lycan hunters?" an astonished Yagari asked.

I nodded slowly. "Yes… it was almost as if Yuuki wanted Rui to be harmed," I replied.

Cross scowled. "There's no 'as if' about it; she meant for Rui to be harmed, and you as well." Then he lowered his head and roughed up his long hair. "I never thought something like this could happen…"

"None of us did," Kaname's voice said behind us. "I think that's what makes Yuuki so dangerous now… we've looked over what she knew we wouldn't see."

Yagari nodded understandingly. "What we thought was motherly love was a cover-up for a crime. It's a good thing we got the case solved so quickly."

"This case is nowhere near being solved," Cross retorted. "We still have two kidnappers to catch and a toddler to find."

"Poor kid… he's probably so scared right now," Yagari muttered under his breath.

Kaname's voice was unwavering and blunt as he said, "His mother brought that on him. She should be the one scared."

"What's going to happen to her now?" I asked, turning back to Cross.

The hunter shrugged. "I don't know. She didn't murder anyone and she was never on the execution list. I guess she'll be detained here until proven harmless to society," he answered.

Yagari ignored his comrade's comment, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the clock. "Damn, it's late. What time was Rui supposed to be by?"

Both Cross and I were shocked at the question. "What do you mean by that? He's still in the hospital; besides, we requested he be taken off the case," Cross answered.

My teacher sighed, burying his tired face in his hands. "Well, unknown to you two, Rui was released from the hospital's care this afternoon; he came by with a report requesting to be put back on the case."

"He can't," I replied. "If he just got out of the hospital, he should be at home resting, not chasing lycan hunting kidnappers. Besides that, one wrong move, and his race is as good as over."

Cross closed his eyes. "He must think that he was at fault for Shizuku's kidnapping; he's going after the kidnappers alone to atone for his mistake."

I stood quickly, slamming my fist on the desk. "I won't allow him to do that!" I shouted. "He could die!"

_This whole thing about me and my past… I don't want you to worry about it…_

His words from back at the hospital echoed through my mind. Why would he tell me that? Unless he had some horrible event he was covering up, he wouldn't worry about me being concerned over him. What was he trying to hide from me? This… this wasn't making any sense.

"He's… going to get himself killed," I muttered.

"We already know that," Yagari stated. "That's why you want to pull him off the case."

Kaname leaned forward in his chair, a questioning look on his face. "What are you getting at, Zero-kun?"

A cold sweat chilled me as I thought the worse. "Rui… he's _wanting _to be killed."

Cross' eyes widened. "Oh God…" he gasped. "When I went by to get his witness report this morning, the nurse said he had just stepped into the shower. Now that I think about it, I couldn't hear running water."

_Shit… Rui, you idiot…_

"Kaname, you drive," I stated as I grabbed my coat and tossed him the car keys.

"Wait, Kiryuu-kun! You don't know where he went!" Cross shouted after me.

I glanced back over my shoulder, saying, "I know."

_Rui, if you get yourself killed… I'll never forgive you…_


	13. Chapter 13

"Zero, I hope you forgive me for this," Rui muttered to himself as he pulled the car to a stop and tossed the withering cigarette out the window. "Then again… I hope you don't…"

The cigarette crinkled under Rui's heel as he stepped out of the car, glaring up to the old abandoned building. This was the spot… he could smell it. There was the scent of hatred and death; hidden among that smell was fear. Innocent fear.

"I guess there's no going back now," the lycan said half-heartidly, roughing up his thick black hair and closing his golden eyes.

Rui knew this place from long ago. Ever since he was a young man deported from China with the rest of his kind, this building served as his new home. Now it would serve as his burial site. Without hesitation, he shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way up the rotting wooden steps. The door was unlocked and easily opened to a subtle push. The lycan's pointed ears twitched as he listened for a toddler's cry, a harsh threat.

He heard more than that.

There was the sound of a faint beep that occurred every so often in groups of two. Rui couldn't quite place the sound to a name, but it didn't sound threatening in the least. With a shrug, Rui began to climb the stairs, careful to avoid the creaking bottom step.

Memories of his past flooded his mind. Nearly a hundred years ago, this was where his family was put into a deep sleep and his little sister lost all memory of who she was. From here, the lycans had been moved (thought for dead) and dumped in a secluded government protected area. Much to the dismay of the government, the lycans never faded away; within eighty years, they began to wake up, their minds confused from years of sleep. It was after the awakening that everything fell apart. The remaining lycans, starved of food and water, began to feed on each other. The young were pushed out of the clan and left to die alone in the wilderness. Rui, the first to have been awakened, was the lone survivor of the bloody frenzy. Why?

He fed on his own kind. His relatives, friends, everyone save for his frightened sister. His hands were stained with the blood of his race.

Rui slapped himself; this house brought back too many painful memories, none of which he would ever share with Zero. Nor would he tell his friend he was being chased. The two lycan hunters who attacked him earlier were well known enemies. They had been hunting him for nearly twenty five years, but he thought they lost his trail when he went to America. The very fact that they found him meant only one thing: Yuuki sold him out.

"It's not like you to be careless, Mao Rui."

The lycan stopped as he felt the cold metal push against the back of his neck. He sighed, lowering his head and saying, "I'm not being careless; I came to give the kid back to his family."

A woman, who looked to be about thirty or so, stepped into view, a smirk darkening her face. "I can't allow you to do that; you see, we were given well payment to bring your head to Hiroki's lab."

Rui chuckled lightly. "Your threats don't allude to the fact that you're frightened of me. I can sense it."

The click of the gun being cocked echoed in the empty hall. "Please. I've never been afraid of you," she said through gritted teeth.

"Then you must know the strength of a lycan if you're not afraid for your life."

"… you killed your own kind to gain power…"

"They were coming after me."

"I would have rather you died with them."

"Ouch. That was a tad rude, don't you think, Aya?"

The woman scoffed, pressing the gun harder against Rui's neck. "Don't call me that. My name is Kazuko," she growled.

"You were Aya when I knew you."

She pulled the gun away and held it at her side. "I know what you're capable of. I saw it. The power you gained through feasting on the elders… it was overwhelming…"

"You were young; you wouldn't have understood," Rui stated as he brushed aside Kazuko's long black hair and stared down into her golden eyes.

Kazuko backed away, slapping his hand and yelling, "Don't touch me!"

"Where's the boy?"

"Like I'd tell you."

Rui backed Kazuko into the wall, holding her wrists above her head. "Just because you married a human doesn't mean you have authority over me. I protected you by claiming I was the last, so you owe me. Tell me, has your husband yet to receive a child?"

Kazuko looked away shamefully."Yes…" she muttered.

"Don't you think it would be rash to kill me? Don't you want to save our race?"

At first, Kazuko was silent, fighting with her thoughts. Then she glared up at Rui, baring her fangs and growling, "Let go of me, you cursed monster. Your hands are still stained with blood."

"Tell me where the boy is, and I'll let go."

"… he's in the attic, playing," she replied weakly.

Rui release Kazuko, turning away and continuing up the stairs. "Thanks; we're done here." He had barely made it p the stairs when Kazuko stopped him.

"Your friends… they don't know the real you, do they?" she asked.

The lycan paused, looking to the woman from over his shoulder. "I don't intend to tell them… this evil I brought upon myself is something I regret keeping a secret for so long… and yet I will never find the courage to tell them," he said with a low growl.

"I see. Maybe you wouldn't mind if we told them at your funeral."

Rui's eyes widened as he barely managed to dodge the bullet that came whizzing at his head. Standing at the top of the stairs was a man, his green eyes narrowed with hate; smoke trailed thinly from the just fired gun he held.

"Good to see you so soon after our first meeting, Hiko."

The man scowled, holding the gun up higher and threatening to pull the trigger. "You monster… just because my wife and I can have no child of our own doesn't mean you have to rub it in our faces."

The lycan's feet were light and soundless as he scampered up the steps, face mere inches away from Hiko's. "I'm not here to play games; I just want to give the kid back to his family," Rui growled.

Hiko backed away, firing the gun as he yelled, "After you kill your own kind, you want to save someone?! I'd rather meet you in hell!"

Rui twisted his body to avoid the bullet. There was a yelp as Kazuko fell back and landed with a hard thud on the wood floor; a bullet hole defiled her flawless face. Hiko stood in shock, his eyes wide and hands trembling. Rui, on the other hand, stood off to the side, his face lowered and eyes solemn. "You know… you shouldn't have done that," he muttered.

"You bastard! You did that so I would hit her!"

"I guess you're just like me now, killing your own kind."

Hiko threw his weight at Rui, forcing the two of them through the crumbling wall into the next room. Shizuku looked up from the toy train set, the train giving two little 'choo-choo's. His eyes widened as he looked onto the two struggling men. "Rui-ojisan!" he cried.

Rui bent his head back to smile at the toddler all while holding back an angry and weeping Hiko. "Hey kid, I'm here to get you back home. Ready?"

"No!"

The lycan's heart stopped as Hiko cut loose and swiped the butt of the gun across his cheek. Before Rui could recover from the blow, Hiko had scrambled to his feet and caught the toddler up in his arms, holding the gun to the boy's head. "No!" Hiko cried again. "You make one move, and I swear his family will never see him again!"

Rui slowly rose to his feet, wiping away the dark blood that trickled down his face. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Hiko. People will miss him if you pull the trigger; no one will miss Kazuko…"

"Her name is Aya! Aya! I will miss her until the day I die! You bastard, do you not have any care for your own people?! Do you not care for life?!"

"… I care for life, yes," Rui said calmly. "However, when it comes to the lives of the lycan… I could give a shit. Do you know what it feels like? To be cursed with a power I never wanted? Lycans were never meant to exist, and yet we did." Then he stepped forward, holding out his hand. "Hiko, give me the child."

Hiko's green eyes darted back and forth from Rui and the window behind them. His teeth gritted together as he rasped, "You want the kid, dog? Then you'd better know how to play fetch." With a swing of his arm, Hiko sent Shizuku crashing through the window and falling with a scream. Rui sprinted past Hiko, leaping from the broken window with shots following after him. The lycan bit his lip as sharp pain rose in his shoulder and back, but nonetheless, he reached as far as he could and managed to grasp Shizuku's little hand. Before they hit the ground, Rui pulled the screaming toddler into his chest and curled his body protectively around him, rolling on the grass and coming to a stop at the base of the hill.

"Hey little man, you okay?" Rui asked breathlessly.

Shizuku closed his eyes, shivering with fright in Rui's strong arms. "Rui-ojisan… he hurt you…" he muttered.

"I know. I'll be okay, though. We'll get out of this, okay?"

_I'll die before the hour is over…_

"Rui!"

With a grunt, Rui stood and looked back to the house; Hiko was standing at the front door, his gun at the ready. "I've got the kid, Hiko! We're done here!" Rui shouted back.

"We're far from being done! You killed my wife!" Hiko blurted.

"… you're the one who pulled the trigger…"

That one comment sent Hiko into a rage known only to a widowed man. Rui looked down to Shizuku as Hiko quickly made his way across the lawn, saying, "Hey, let's play a game. Close your eyes and count to ten."

Shizuku nodded and closed his eyes, mouthing the numbers to himself.

_Good… he won't see…_

Thick black fur covered Rui's skin and pointed ears; long black claws grew from his fingernails, each claw the length of the average human pinky. If Zero or Kaname looked on him now, they wouldn't see Rui; they would see a beast, a werewolf like monster. He prayed to God they wouldn't see him like this again. His prayer never reached Heaven.

Hiko's eyes widened with fear as Rui's true form towered above him, a menacing gnashing of fangs and narrowed yellow eyes looking down on him. "You… you've changed…" he gasped.

"This is what became of me," Rui said huskily. "This is what became of the lycan who feasted on his own kind."

"You… gained their strength and power," Hiko said breathlessly. "You are-"

"The ruler of the lycans? You could say that," Rui interrupted. "What number are you on, kid?"

"… six…"

_Four seconds… that's enough time…_

Several gunshots sounded as Rui lunged forward towards the hunter, one arm swiping out deadly claws while the other held Shizuku protectively to his burly chest.

_Three…_

A bullet pierced his leg. Another hit his side. Still, one blow managed to fell Hiko to the ground. Now the hunter could barely manage to stand.

_Two…_

With a heavy breath, Hiko's trembling hand held up the gun as he muttered, "I will kill you…"

Rui scoffed, saying, "You wish." Then he raised his arm high, his paw spread wide as he brought it down on Hiko's weak form… but not before the hunter managed to fire off another shot. The sharp claws slashed through Hiko's chest and shoulder, and a bloodied arm fell lifeless by the maimed body. With a gasp, the hunter crumpled to the ground, dead.

_One…_

Shizuku opened his eyes in time to see the last of the black fur receding from Rui's face and his claws fade into normal human fingers. Rui turned away from the bloody form on the ground, saying, "You don't want to look at it; it'll give you nightmares…"

"Rui-ojisan… your chest is bleeding…"

Rui looked down to see that the kid was right; his blood had rubbed off on Shizuku's face and clothing. "Sorry…" he muttered.

He was hurting so much. He felt as if his heart was going to explode as it tried to push the blood faster through his open wounds. The bullets had buried deep into his flesh, the silver disintegrating and poisoning his bloodstream. Blood had begun to stream from his lips down his chin.

He was dying…

"Rui-ojisan, are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm fine…"

"You look like you're about to cry."

"I am."

"Why?"

Rui smiled weakly as he looked up to the sky, saying, "Because… it's all finally coming to an end…"

"Rui! Shizuku!"

The injured lycan turned to see a car pull to a stop a good distance away. Zero and Kaname quickly stepped out, the two small figures running towards the two. Rui's smile faded and his eyes darkened. "Shit… you weren't… supposed to come…"

Still holding Shizuku close, Rui took a stumbling step forward before his legs gave out and he went tumbling to the ground. The green grass had been splattered with his dark blood, the same way it had been stained with the blood of his kind twenty five years ago. It was his turn to return to the earth he was born from.

It was his turn to die.


	14. Chapter 14

"Rui! Shizuku!"

I could see them from a mile away, two bloodied forms standing on the hill top by an old house. Rui was stumbling badly, unable to hold himself up. Even so, he had a very protective hold of the frightened toddler, a hand over Shizuku's eyes so as to hide the sight of blood. Upon hearing my voice, Rui turned to face us, a weak smile disappearing from his lips. He looked so... at peace.

"Rui..." I murmured, leaning forward in my seat to get a better view.

"He's dying, Zero-kun," Kaname said as he pulled the car to a stop and opened his door. "If you want to say good bye, you had better get over there quickly. I'll be waiting for you."

I scrambled out of the car, running up the grassy slope. My heart skipped a beat as I watched my friend take a step towards me and then collapse.

_No... you bastard, you had better not die..._

My pace quickened, but no matter how fast I ran, it never felt like I was getting anywhere. I felt as if I were in a dream that dragged me slowly away from reality. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally fell to my knees at Rui's side, my pants stained with the bloody grass. Shizuku was wimpering as he lightly touched his small fingers on Rui's unmoving chest. "Kiryuu-ojisan, Rui-ojisan isn't moving," he said.

Rui's hold was still tight on the boy, but I managed to pry him away and set him on his feet. "Are you hurt anywhere?" I asked shakily.

He shook his head. "No, but I think Rui-ojisan is. Will... will he be okay?" his tiny voice asked.

"... go see your father; he's waiting for you," I said, ignoring his question.

There was so much blood. So much. It was a wonder Rui was still alive when we first drove up. I placed my open hand on his chest, feeling the blood gush against my palm from the deep wound. "Rui... why didn't you wait for us?" I asked myself, lowering my head.

"... I... had an old debt... to pay..."

His golden eyes, once so full of life, were now dull and hollow. Rui didn't even attempt to smile; he was much to weak for that now. I grasped his hand tightly in mine, his blood warm between our stained fingers. "Hey, you're going to be okay. We're going to help you out of this like last time."

Rui's expression didn't change. Although he must have been in agonizing pain, he managed to cover it up with a blank expression. "Zero, let it go," he rasped. "I... I want this..."

"I don't!" My fingers fumbled together as I opened up his palm and pointed to a line on his hand. "This means you'll have four kids. Four to carry on your name! I am going to live to see you do that, and so are you."

"But... I'm the last-"

"Screw that! I'm just trying to say you'll make it throught this, damn it!"

Rui calmly shook his head. "I lied so... so many times... even about my palm reading... Zero, according to that... I would neve any family... nor would I live... a long life."

I smiled weakly and brushed the bloodsoaked hair from his face. "You've lived for almost three hundred years... that's long enough, neh?"

"Really?" he asked in return. "It all happened... too quickly... Hey, d'ya mind lightin' a dyin' man... one last smoke...?" He rigidly reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes; there was a bullet hole in it. "Well... shit..."

"Don't push yourself, you little bastard," I said with a choked chuckle. "Even if I could, I wouldn't let the last thing you do be smoking away your final breaths."

Rui scoffed, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. "Heh... some friend you are... How's the kid?"

"He's fine, thanks to you."

"Nah... I brought this on him..."

I leaned down to wipe away the blood that dripped from his lips; there was something about him that seemed so... at peace. So calm. So carefree. If anyone could have chosen an ideal way to die, this was it: knowing that your regrets and mistakes are all behind you.

"Zero... you're cryin'..."

"Shut up," I mumbled, wiping the tears from my face. "It's your fault."

"I'm sorry... I never meant... to hurt you..."

I closed my eyes to blot out the tears, saying, "I know... I know..." When I looked down on him again, Rui's faint and pained breaths had ceased and his golden eyes stared up at me half-open. Even up to the moment he died, he managed to wear a smile on his face. I sat there for a long while, expecting him to suddenly sit up and yell 'ha, you've been punk'd!', but he didn't.

My colleague... my roommate...

My friend... was dead. Through blurred tears, I placed my hand over his dead eyes and gently closed them to the light of the world. I didn't want him staring up at me like that... I didn't want him to see me cry.


	15. Chapter 15

We buried Rui next to his sister's grave. The ceremony wasn't anything special; just a few friends and coworkers showed, but it was enough. Even if no one but Cross and me showed up, Rui still would have been happy. A few days later, I had a special tombstone marker made, one that I hoped made Rui smile down on us. I thought, that maybe, I should have told him three words before he died, but that failing, he should have at least known after the fact. To this day, anyone who passes by those two lonely graves will see and understand:

_Mao Rui_

_1716-2015_

_I forgive you_

Kaname decided it would be best not to tell Shizuku the truth of Rui's death until he was old enough to understand. Yuuki never again saw her friends or family, but instead was locked away in a dark prison below the Association Headquarters. She was declared mentally insane and therefore was never deemed safe for release. Cross took Shizuku under his care while Kaname was flooded with nobles asking of Yuuki's whereabouts. The paparazzi didn't stop for nearly three months, and then rumours started after that. That was one hell of a time to push through. When Kaname sold the mansion and began living with me, that only raised more questions. I'm sure I became the most hated human in all the vampire's eyes.

"They really hate me, don't they?" I asked after receiving a box of hate mail.

"They're jealous," Kaname replied.

I sighed, tossing the box in the corner for trash and collapsed on the couch, covering my face. "So much has happened..." I muttered. "I can't believe shit like this can happen in such a short amount of time."

Kaname sat on the side of the couch, leaning over me. "I think it was all for the better, though," he whispered as he brushed my hair aside.

Yeah, for the better. Never again would Yuuki step in between us, and Shizuku was free from her unruly desires. Rui's death, although hard for many of us, marked the end to his suffering and regrets. Cross had Shizuku to keep him company for a while, which made the man happy. And then Kaname was with me... it really was for the better. "I still can't get over the fact... that it's all over," I murmured.

The pureblood chuckled. "Yeah, it is; now it's time for us to endure adventures of our own."

I smiled, reaching over to the unopened sake bottle on the coffee table and popping it open. "Cheers," I said, tipping the bottle towards him.

"You're a little young to be drinking, aren't you?"

"... I'm twenty-four..."

"Really?" Kaname asked jokingly. "It may seem strange, but every time I look at you, I think you're eighteen again. Has six years really passed?"

"Yeah."

Still, Kaname took the sake bottle from me and sat close beside me. "You know, it's been a while now, and you still haven't told me about your time in America."

I shrugged, looking away. "Meh... not much happened..." I replied. Truth was, I didn't want to tell him. Especially during the first year, some... pretty interesting things between me and Rui came up. Nothing bad or personal... okay, maybe a little. I thought that telling Kaname everything would not only make him angry with me, but also regret putting Rui's soul to rest. With a sigh, I leaned back and held up a small glass. "Just pour me the damn sake, and I might tell you what happened over there," I said.

Kaname shook his head, drawing back the sake. "I don't know; you might get drunk and forget to tell me," he stated.

"... fine, you wanna know what happened?"

"Of course."

Grabbing the sake bottle from his grasp, I quickly downed a third of it. Kaname's eyes widened as he leaned forward to take the bottle from me. "Oi, Zero-kun! Don't do that!" he said as he crawled over me and reached for the bottle. I craned my neck back and pushed my elbow against him.

"Nope! Not giving this to you!" I shouted back, holding the sake from his grappling fingers. I didn't expect for Kaname to suddenly force my head back around and press his lips against mine. When he drew back, I felt my face go beet red.

"Zero-kun, you're going to tell me whether you like it or not," he said coolly before leaning forward again.

"... o-okay..."


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you so much for reading/reviewing! wow, I never knew Rui was so popular; I'm sorry if I ruined Halloween with his death, but thanks for liking him so much! _

_For those interested in what happened in America, I will be posting a new story shortly (the fourth one, can you believe it?!) explaining the first year of Rui/Zero's adventures in the USA! Woot! This one will be more of a fanservice thing, since several have taken a liking to Rui and have suggested some ideas. *_

_Also, I am currently writing another story for a fellow Fanfiction member, using her characters and background. I hope everyone enjoys it and be sure to leave comments!_

_Arigatou gazaimas!!! Thanks for everything!!! Feel free to email any ideas and such for future works! *bow, bow, bow, bow* _

_BTW, for those keeping up to date, a new chapter to the Vampire Knight manga came out some time last week. :3 Enjoy!!_

_*I know I ended this story rather... abruptly, but I promise it won't be bad! The fourth story will be almost like Zero recounting American adventures, so the last few chapters or so will come back to the last chapter of Mugen. Sorry that I didn't make this clear AT ALL, but that's the plan; so, technically, Mugen is an ongoing story, but I felt that it would be better to post another story continuing it rather than add another fourteen chapters and make it like.... forty-something chapters long. I'm SOOOOOO sorry I didn't mention this! trust me, more smut scenes to come! I PROMISE!!!_


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